The CVS Advisor Panel is designed simply as a survey site for CVS  ExtraCare cardholders to get the customers input about CVS stores, the products they offer, the services they provide, and suggestions on how CVS can improve. The surveys are random and sent throughout the year. CVS thanks you for your time by crediting your account with ExtraCare bucks in increments of $5, 10, and $15.

The only catch is that you do have to have a CVS ExtraCare Card to sign up to become an advisor. If you don’t already have an ExtraCare Card with CVS, the quickest way to obtain one is by visiting your nearest CVS store. The applications are located at the checkout available upon request. If you don’t have a CVS near you to visit soon, an ExtraCare card can also be obtained online at CVS. I’ve received a $2 credit for not qualifying for a survey which I love since they can be used in store just like cash. The reward will be emailed to you once the survey is complete to be printed and used in store at your convenience. Want to learn more about being a CVS Advisor? Check out the CVS Advisor site to find out what you need to do to apply.

I am all about finding a good deal, and if there is a rebate to go along with the deal, it makes it even better. One of my favorite stores for rebating in the past was Walgreens, they have done away with the program, but there are other stores that offer rebates as well, that you may not have been aware of.

Kohl’s has a wide range of household items that have a rebate available. Combine a good sale price with a coupon and the rebate, and it may end up being a pretty good deal.

Bed Bath & Beyond is another great place to find rebates on household items. I purchased a food processor there, used a coupon, and received a rebate.

The Home Depot has some rebates available on major appliances.

Ace Hardware has monthly rebates available for a variety of things that can be found at a hardware store. I’ve never participated in this one, but it looks really easy and if you sign up for Ace Rewards (free to sign-up) submissions for their monthly rebate can be done online.

My Coke Rewards has literally been around for years now. The program started in 2006 and Coke has continued to extend the program. I’ve participated in My Coke Rewards for the last two years and have selected a few gift cards along the way. The program offers a wide variety of rewards to be redeemed with your accumulated points.

How do you earn points? Coke products have a code valid for either 3 points (bottled product), 10 points (12-pack), or 20 points (24-pack) that must be entered on the My Coke Rewards site. The good thing about collecting the points is that you can collect points from your friends and family that don’t participate to help increase your point balance.

The only down side of collecting the codes to enter is that is does take time to enter the codes, and sometimes they are difficult to read. Like any rewards program, it does take patience to build your point balance before being able to redeem for a reward, but I feel like it is worth the wait.

I love all the rewards programs available for parents and grandparents with babies. The companies provide great products and in return offer a points system to reward you in some way for purchasing their products. This is a great way to stretch your budget and maximize your savings by participating in the rewards programs offered by the manufacturers. If you are already purchasing these products, it doesn’t cost you anything and you may receive something in return.

Enfamil and Huggies both have rewards programs that include instant win games and sweepstakes drawings. Check their sites for more information on their rewards program. In addition to their rewards programs, signing up for Enfamil’s Family Beginnings and Huggies Baby Network will allow you to receive additional savings from both of these companies through the mail.

Pampers has a program called Gifts To Grow that allows you to accumulate points from their participating products of diapers, training pants, and wipes. I did this while my son was in diapers, and redeemed my points for photos from Shutterfly and a Blockbuster Movie Night which included 2 movie rentals, 2 soft drinks, and one tub of popcorn. The rewards change periodically but always center around baby and mom.

Signing up is always free with these rewards programs. Some of the rewards redeemed from the Pampers promotion may cost you a little in shipping, but other than that it’s just the time you spend logging your points into the various rewards programs.

If you have never heard about The Caregivers Marketplace, I can understand why. It is an obscure rebate program designed to help families save money on the things that they buy every day. The first time I heard about The Caregivers Marketplace was almost three years ago on a message board that I frequent (Coupon Forum). It sounded a little weird to me that a company would pay you for purchasing products that you need to purchase anyway.

The program is free. There are no referral fees, sign-up fees, or hidden costs. The only one that stands to benefit is you. I originally heard about the program from other moms who had used it to help reduce the cost of their purchase of Huggies diapers. I figured I had nothing to lose, because at the time I had to purchase diapers for my son. After I had saved up the required number of receipts, submitted my first rebate request, and received my first rebate check, I was a believer.

The program helps you save money on diapers, diaper creams, over the counter medications, vitamins and herbs, and diabetic nutrition. To start saving with The Caregivers Marketplace you’ll need to enroll which will give them the information they need to send you your rebate check. Enrolling will also provide you with your savings number which you will need on the rebate form. After signing up they will mail you your first rebate form or you can print one from their site. Each time you submit a request for rebate, they will also mail you a new rebate form with your rebate check so that you will never have to print a form from their site.

To receive a rebate you will need to purchase a minimum of five (5) eligible products which are listed on the rebate form, fill out the cash back rebate form, and provide the original cash register receipts (with the price circled) for each eligible product. Your rebate will be processed in 4-6 weeks.  It is okay to send in five receipts for five different eligible products, I have done this. Your eligible rebate items do not have to be on the same receipt. You can also save up your receipts and submit them for the entire year, just make sure they are submitted by the cutoff time for the submission year.

Tips for submitting your rebate:  I have never encountered a problem with The Caregivers Marketplace. I do however take precaution anytime I submit a rebate and scan the entire rebate request onto my computer to have in case my submission is lost or part of it is separated to support my rebate request. I keep my rebate receipts in an envelope labeled The Caregivers Marketplace so that I do not misplace them or throw them away until I am ready to submit my rebate request.

Rebates are a great way to help your family save money and The Caregivers Marketplace does just that.

There are many rewards programs on the internet that pay you back to shop through their site. I’ve mentioned Ebates and MyPoints is another site that also pays you back to shop through them. These two are my favorite because I know they are legitimate, it doesn’t take an excessive amount of time to build up points before you are able to redeem, and I have received my rewards from both of them.

MyPoints rewards you for making your online purchases through them at hundreds of retailers. The good thing is that it is not the only way that you can earn points. The easiest and least expensive way to earn points is by opening MyPoints emails, and clicking on the Get Points button near the bottom of the email. This is the route that I take and usually get less than five MyPoints offers in my inbox daily so it doesn’t seem intrusive. Another alternative to earning points is by referring your friends and family. Once they accumulate the specified number of points, you receive points in your account for referring them.

So what do you do once you acquire all those points? You do what I do, cash them out for a gift card. My favorite gift card to redeem for is Target, but they have dozens of places to choose from for your gift card. Turn around time is really great once you cash in your points and request a gift card. It normally takes 3-6 weeks for the processing time once you’ve redeemed your points.